Conventionally, inkjet printers have been used to print an image onto printing paper by ejecting fine droplets of ink from a plurality of outlets of an ejection head toward the printing paper while moving the printing paper relative to the ejection head. In such inkjet printers, an ejection surface is cleaned by wiping off ink adhering to a head lower surface of the ejection head having the outlets with a wiper formed of rubber or a synthetic resin.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-71582 (Document 1) discloses a technique in which a slight gap (e.g., an approximately 0.1-mm gap) is provided between a cleaning member and a nozzle surface of an inkjet head when the cleaning member is moved along the nozzle surface, and ink is selectively discharged from nozzles facing the cleaning member and is held in the gap. In the inkjet recording apparatus of Document 1, the meniscus of the ink held in the gap serves to remove ink mist or dirt on the nozzle surface. The cleaning member is configured such that, in a portion of the cleaning member that faces the nozzle surface, portions on opposite sides of a nozzle array form two raised portions that extend along the nozzle array and that are in direct contact with the nozzle surface, and the aforementioned ink to be held between the cleaning member and the nozzle surface is filled into the space between the two raised portions.
Incidentally, bringing part of the cleaning member into direct contact with the nozzle surface as described above makes it possible to easily position the cleaning member relative to the nozzle surface. In this case, it is also possible to easily maintain the position of the cleaning member relative to the nozzle surface when the cleaning member is moving.
On the other hand, as in Document 1, if ink is held in the space between the two raised portions serving as positioning parts for the cleaning member, the ink may enter between the nozzle surface and the raised portions and adhere to portions of the nozzle surface that face the raised portions.